Don’t despise little beginnings, entrepreneurs urge start-ups

The Annual Food Exhibition and sales event also called GTBank Food and Drink Festival aimed at projecting the diverse angles of the food industry by connecting various businesses involved in the production and sales of food-related items to a cosmopolitan audience of food enthusiasts held recently in Lagos.

Apart from the exhibition, professional chefs from all walks of life were on ground to share their experiences with their colleagues in the food industry as well as food enthusiasts.

Speaking on the topic: Blogging and Burgers: From Street Food to Global Cuisine, Tom Reaney urged entrepreneurs not to despise little beginnings in starting up a business.

Reaney said that his affection for burger propelled the setting up of Burger Bear.

He added that time and money were also crucial factors that pushed him towards starting the business.

“We started on the street seven years ago in London. We weren’t thinking too big at the time. Now, we have managed to grow with five restaurants in London. We raised 40,000 pounds in 30 days.

“For me, I love burgers. I had wanted to do something about burgers maybe because I had worked in the hospitality sector overtime.

“I also worked in an office because I wanted a break from hospitality. When my wife got pregnant and I needed more time and money, I decided to set up my own business and that’s how Burger came into being. I started on the street and from the street to a restaurant,” Reaney said.

Also speaking at one of the masterclasses, a prominent food blogger in the United Kingdom, Chris Fynes emphasised that a successful food blogger needs four ingredient; of niche, community, foundation and responsibility.

Explaining the responsibility aspect of the ingredients, Fynes said it means platform for positivity and urged prospective bloggers to invest time in editing, photography, videos and all.

He advised food bloggers to desist from fake blogging and improve the food community.

Reeling off how he started, he said “I was born in Sandhurst, which is the opposite of Lagos in terms of population. I said to my friend let’s start a Food Blog. As you can see (pointing at the picture), I was a lot younger, slimmer. We went to meet Chef Arnold to check some of our burgers.”